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Commentary produced June 13, 2014

June 13, 2014

Headlines

Above normal June rainfall already

Temperature comparison

Weekly weather potpourri

MPR listener question

Almanac for June 13th

Past weather

Outlook

Above normal June rainfall already!

The Waskish observer reported a thunderstorm rainfall of 3.46 inches on
June 12 (Thursday), a record for the date and the second greatest daily
amount ever measured at that station in Beltrami County. Several
observers have already reported heavy thunderstorms this month.

Barely
two weeks into June a number of climate observers have already reported
well above normal rainfall for the month, thanks to some heavy doses
from thunderstorms. Some locations with abundant amounts of rainfall so
far include:

Temperature comparisons

Much of Minnesota was 10-15 degrees F cooler than normal with highs
only in the 50s and 60s F on Thursday, June 12. This followed a string
of days with daytime temperatures primarily in the 70s and 80s F.
Elsewhere, Death Valley has seen a run of above normal temperatures
prevail; Here are the highs, lows, and departure from normal for recent
days in June there:

In the climate of Death Valley air conditioning is not a matter of comfort, it is a matter of survivability!

Weekly weather potpourri

NOAA
has released a new fact sheet on "How Climate Change Affects Extreme
Events." It provides a good background on how climate science uses both
observations and models to address this question. Further it shows the
basis for expectations that Heat Waves and intense rainfall events will
continue to increase in frequency with climate change. You can find a
version of this fact sheet online here.

Tropical Cyclone Nanauk was churning in the Arabian Sea this week
well off to the east of Oman. It reached peak intensity on Thursday
with wind gusts over 80 mph and sea wave heights over 20 feet. By the
weekend it is expected to dissipate at sea.

Hurricane Cristina
was being watched by the NOAA National Hurricane Center in the Eastern
Pacific Ocean well off to the west of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It had
maximum wind gusts over 120 mph and sea wave heights up to 25 feet.
Over the weekend the cloud shield from Cristina may bring rain to the
southern portion of Baja California, but the storm is mostly expected to
remain out to sea and dissipate by Monday.

MPR listener question:

"With the wet start to this
month I realized that we have had a string of years bringing wet Junes
to Minnesota. How many June monthly record rainfalls have been set in
recent years?"

Answer: Indeed, beginning with June of 2010 we have
seen a remarkable string of wet Junes prevail. Some of the monthly
records set include the following,

With the very wet start to this month some observers may approach their record wettest June, we'll see.

Twin Cities Almanac for June 13th

The average
MSP high temperature for this date is 79 degrees F (plus or minus 9
degrees F standard deviation), while the average low is 58 degrees F
(plus or minus 7 degrees F standard deviation).

MSP local records for June 13th

MSP weather
records for this date include: highest daily maximum temperature of 100
degrees F in 1956; lowest daily maximum temperature of 49 degrees F in
1947; lowest daily minimum temperature is 37 degrees F in 1969; highest
daily minimum temperature of 77 F in 1956; record precipitation of 2.37
inches in 2001; and there has been no snow on this date.

Average dew point for June 13th is 55 degrees F, with a maximum of 74 degrees F in 2001 and a minimum of 29 degrees F in 1933.

All-time state records for June 13th

The state record high temperature for this date is 104 degrees F at
Redwood Falls (Redwood County) in 1956. The state record low temperature
for this date is 25 degrees F at Cotton (St Louis County) in 1969.
State record precipitation for this date is 6.08 inches at Red Wing
(Goodhue County) in 1950; and no measurable snowfall has occurred on
this date.

Past weather features

June 10-13, 1956 brought a Heat Wave to Minnesota. Nearly every
observer in the state saw daytime temperatures reach into the 90s F,
except for Grand Marais which only reached a maximum of 82 degrees F. A
dozen Minnesota cities hit the century mark in temperature with
nighttime lows only falling into the 70s F.

The coldest June 13th in state history occurred in 1969 when frost swept
across many northern communities. Over a dozen communities saw the
thermometer drop into the 20s F, and ground frost was reported as far
south as Luverne.

June 13, 1991 brought dangerous and disruptive weather to the U.S. Open
Golf Championships being held at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska.
During first round play a thunderstorm brought rain and lightning to
the course suspending play shortly before 1:00 pm. Six spectators
taking cover were injured when the tree nearby the 11th hole tee was
struck by a lightning bolt. One of the people died of cardiac arrest.
For the past several years meteorologists from Schneider Electric (with
offices in Burnsville, MN) have provided on-site forecasting for PGA
events.

Outlook

Cooler than normal temperatures prevalent throughout the weekend, with
daily chances for showers and thunderstorms, especially late Saturday
into early Sunday. Warming up to near normal Monday and mostly dry,
then increasing cloudiness for Tuesday through Thursday with chances for
showers and thunderstorms.

Further information

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